The present invention relates to a control method for controlling screen saver function, an apparatus and a system adopting the method and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus in which a screen saver application program is installed, an image sensing system using the information processing apparatus, and a control method for controlling screen saver function during performing image sensing operation.
In an image sensing system, such as a desk-top TV conference system and a TV phone, a general-purpose work station or personal computer is often used as a platform of the system. The work station or personal computer executes an operating system (OS), such as a window operating system, and a TV conference or TV phone application program which works on the OS is installed in the work station or personal computer. In such system, a screen saver application program is often installed along with the OS or independently.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a general desk-top TV conference system.
In FIG. 8, reference 100 denotes a computer unit; 101, a system bus; 102, a CPU for executing a program; 103, a clock; 104, a memory for temporary storing information; 105, a ROM; 106, a timer; 107, a user interface (I/F); 108, a keyboard; 109, a mouse; 110, a storage unit for storing a TV conference application program; 111, an image output I/F; 112, a monitor for displaying an image; and 113, a communication unit for communicating with an external device.
Further, reference numeral 200 denotes a TV conference hardware; 201, an image input I/F; 202, a codec for compressing and expanding image data; 203, an audio I/F; 204, a codec for compressing and expanding audio data; 205, a multiplexing/separating unit for multiplexing and separating the audio data and the image data; 206, a communication unit for communicating with a destination terminal via a communication line as well as communicating with the computer unit 100; 207, a video camera as an image input device; 208, a microphone; and 209, a speaker.
Next, an operation of the disk-top TV conference system having the configuration as described above is explained with reference to flowcharts in FIGS. 9 and 10.
First, in step S301 in FIG. 9, the TV conference application program stored in the storage unit 110 is initiated and the disk-top TV conference system connects to a destination terminal via the communication line. When the connection is established, conference starts in step S302.
Steps S321 to S327 in FIG. 10 briefly shows a typical operation of a general screen saver. For using the screen saver, first, time when a screen saver image starts to be displayed is set in step S321, then an internal counter is cleared to 0 in step S322, thereby initialization is completed. When there is a user input event, determination in step S323 becomes YES and the process proceeds to step S324 where the counter is cleared to 0. When no user input event, such as an input through the keyboard 108 and the mouse 109, occurs, determination in step S323 becomes NO and the process proceeds to step S325 where the counter is increased. In step S326, the value of the counter and the time set in step S321 are compared. When the value of the counter is equal or greater than the set time, the screen saver image starts to be displayed in step S327.
Even when the user does not perform any input operation using the mouse 109 or the keyboard 108 for a while during the conference, images transmitted from the destination terminal and images of conference materials, for instance, may be displayed on the screen of the monitor 112 one after another. More precisely, while the TV conference application program is executed, the image on the screen is kept updated with a moving image. Sound in the user""s side is inputted through the microphone 208 and the sound from the destination terminal is heard through the speaker 209 or a headset (not shown) during the conference (step S303).
However, since the updating of the image on the screen of the monitor 112 or the inputting of sound are not user input events, in the screen saver application program, the process moves from step S323 to step S325 and the counter is increased in step S326. Then, when the value of the counter becomes equal or greater than the set time, the determination in step S326 becomes YES, and the predetermined screen saver image starts being displayed.
When the conference ends in step S304, then the connection is disconnected in step S305, thereby completing the TV conference application program.
In the conventional TV conference system as described above, when the user starts TV conference without inactivating the screen saver function, if the user does not operate input devices, such as the mouse and the keyboard, for a while, a screen saver image starts to be displayed after a preset time has passed. Since the screen saver image hides a TV conference window, the conference is interrupted, which is very inconvenient. When this occurs, the user has to operate the input device, such as the mouse and the keyboard, to recover the TV conference window.
In order to prevent the aforesaid inconvenience, the user has to inactivate the screen saver function before starting conference, and activate the screen saver function after the conference ends.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a control method for automatically controlling screen saver function so that a window for a predetermined application displayed on an information processing apparatus is not hidden by a screen saver image during executing the predetermined application program, such as a TV conference application program, an information processing apparatus and an image sensing system adopting the method.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an information processing apparatus having a function for displaying a screen saver image when no user input event occurs for a predetermined period comprising: inactivating means for automatically inactivating screen saver function during performing predetermined processing.
The foregoing object is also attained by providing an image sensing system having a function for displaying a screen saver image when no user input event occurs for a predetermined period comprising: inactivating means for automatically inactivating screen saver function during image sensing operation.
Further, the foregoing object is also attained by providing a control method for controlling a function for displaying a screen saver image when no user input event occurs for a predetermined period comprising: an inactivating step of automatically inactivating screen saver function during performing predetermined processing.
Furthermore, the foregoing object is also attained by providing a computer program for controlling a function for displaying a screen saver image when no user input event occurs for a predetermined period comprising: first computer readable program code means for automatically inactivating screen saver function during performing predetermined processing.
Preferably, pseudo user input events are generated for inactivating the screen saver function.
Alternatively, a command for inactivating the screen saver function is generated and transmitted via an application program interface (API) to inactivate the screen saver function.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.